To Break The Ice
by YokaiKittens
Summary: PrincessBubblegum stared into the IceKing's saddened eyes. She almost felt bad for him, but it went away as quickly as it came. She shouldn't feel bad for the man that had kidnapped her and so many others so many times. "Then what is it you want?" The IceKing shivered—as if he wasn't the King of Ice, but a simple old man of warmth. "I just want you to meet my son." PB&IceKing'sSon
1. Chapter 1

Princess Bubblegum's head was pounding. _I don't think the Ice King's ever been this violent when kidnapping me…_

She woke up, pushing her upper body from the ice cold ground. She wiped her eyes, her vision blurring even more than it already had before returning to its normalcy. She groaned inwardly. _I don't have time for this. I have a kingdom to run, you know!_

She glanced around, but the Ice King's familiar bearded face was nowhere to be found. She didn't want to wait. She wanted out of this ice cold palace and back into the warm summer breeze that had always engulfed the Candy Kingdom.

"Princess?" She didn't reply to the gruff, familiar voice. It sounded strange, though. It sounded, almost melancholy. It was terribly strange, but Princess Bubblegum decided not to notice.

"Oh, you're awake." He sighed as he stepped into the light, his blue, kingly robes dragging against the ice and his beard white and cleanly. He looked toward the Princess with a distant, sad gaze. Her kind nature wanted her to ask why he looked as he did, but that was no way to treat an enemy.

"I am," Princess Bubblegum replied coldly.

His gaze saddened as he looked downward to the floor. Was that _shame _in his eyes?

"I hope you know that Finn will come for me," she stated matter-o-factly.

"Yes," The Ice King replied, "He always does."

Her eyes widened. _He was already admitting defeat? Or does he have something up his sleeve?_

There was silence for a few moments, before Princess Bubblegum stood on her feet, brushing her hands over her dress to rid it of ice shavings. She walked up to the bars, placing her small hands upon them, even though she hated how they were nearly frozen shut. Her cheeks were rosy with the cold seeping into her skin.

"I suggest you release me before he gets here, and I may ask him to spare you."

"I-I'm afraid I can't do that."

Her eyes widened, before her anger began to show in her face. She opened her mouth to say something rude—something out of her nature. But before she could, he spoke quietly.

"I…have something to ask of you, Princess Bubblegum." He looked down at his hands.

Princess Bubblegum stared into the Ice King's saddened eyes. She almost felt bad for him, but it went away as quickly as it came. She shouldn't feel bad for the man that had kidnapped her and so many others so many times. "Then what is it you want?"

The Ice King shivered—as if he wasn't the King of Ice, but a simple old man of warmth. "I just want you to meet my son."

Princess Bubblegum froze, her breath catching in her throat. It took her a moment to register what he had said. _A son._

"You…you don't have a son."

He sighed as if he had expected it. "I do."

"But…but you're not married. Who had _your _child?" Her astonishment was hard to hide. She refused to believe the alternative. That he would…do something like that to a girl without her wanting to. The Ice King was cold, but not…_that_.

"I did not need a woman to create him. I used the ice itself."

_The ice itself?_

"Princess, I'm not as young as I used to be."

_You used to be young?_ The Princess thought sarcastically. He still looked like his regular old self.

"I have failed to marry, and if I don't have a queen, my kingdom won't prosper. I won't live forever, and I'll need someone to run the Ice Kingdom when I'm gone. If I can't find a wife, I'll have to have a child on my own, someone to take care of the Kingdom, and who would be better than my own blood?"

Princess Bubblegum blinked. "But…but how did you…?"

The Ice King smirked proudly. "I used my own blood—my DNA—and the ice from my kingdom. But…I..I.."

"You…?"

He sighed deeply. "I can give him everything. But, I cannot give him a heart. He has to get that on his own."

Princess Bubblegum didn't know what she should say. She didn't know what reply would be appropriate to something like this.

"He…he needs to feel compassion for his people, but he cannot do that if he doesn't have a heart to fill it with."

"So you want me to use science to make him a heart?"

"No, I…" he sighed and rubbed his pale blue face. Princess Bubblegum had never seen him look so distressed. He had his own son, finally, but he had failed in giving him a heart. What father wouldn't be sad about that?

"I want you to find it."

"Find it?"

The Ice King nodded vigorously. "Yes, I know it is somewhere in him. But, I fear the ice too thick for me to get through. I need you to find his heart."

"But what if it's not there?" she replied. What if he didn't have a heart and all he had was…ice?

"Please, Princess, we have to try. I refuse to believe my own son was born heartless and cruel. I beg of you!"

And to make it even worse, the man dropped to his knees, his hands clasped together as if he were about to pray. His eyes closed, and his long, crippled nose to the ground.

The princess sighed. How would she know how to find a heart in a man made of ice and blood?

_But he's down on his knees, a king! Begging me to do something I'm not even sure I can do. _

Princess Bubblegum sighed. She took a deep breath of the icy air. She wished Finn would leap from the ceilings and beat him out of his wits, but that wasn't happening. And the man was on his knees, pleading.

"Fine…I'll help you."

Author's Note:

Hi! This is my first story on Fanfiction! I hope you enjoyed this. I had originally thought about PB falling in love with the Ice King, but with his reputation, I couldn't really think of a way for that to work out. So, I decided to do one on his son, and PB. I thought it would be really cute.

I do plan on doing more Adventure Time stories with my favorite couples like Fiona and Marshall Lee, Finn and Flame Princess, and any others I find cute and adorable!

Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

The Ice King was ecstatic. He rose from the ground in a matter of seconds, his face wet with cold tears, but drying quickly. Before the princess knew what was happened, his warms were wrapped around hers, engulfing her in his grasp.

She gasped, lifting her head away, but he began to thank her over and over again. Did he forget the he _kidnapped _her?

She waited for the sound of breaking glass—the sound of splintering wood cracking under the pressure of Finn's shoulder, or Jake's fist. It never came. She didn't want to be in this situation. This change of heart was all too fast for her, and she didn't like it one bit. The Ice King had kidnapped her because he needed help, not a wife. It sounded as if he had given up what he had done that made everyone hate him for so long.

When he pulled away, his dark eyes stared into her baby blue ones, a look of gratitude on his smitten face. He smiled generously, his face shining victoriously. Princess Bubblegum felt uncomfortable under his happy stare so much that she looked away, rolling in her lips.

"Thank you so much, Princess. Here, I want you to meet him right now!"

He began to drag her, hand in hand, deeper and deeper into the Ice Palace, much farther than she had ever been. It turned out that it was much bigger than she expected, mostly because she had only seen a small portion of it. The deeper they got, the colder the air became.

They descended some icy stairs and entered a large hallway. An icicle chandelier hung above and the Ice King hurriedly rushed her down the hallway. Her feet were no longer on cold ice, but on a blue carpet, thankfully.

They came to a door at the end of this hallway, big and gallant and vast, built like an intricate ice sculpture. No matter how much she didn't want to believe it, there had always been something she liked about the ice castle. It was the beautiful way it was made. The sculptures, the architecture… It was all brilliant.

The Ice King released her hand to grasp the door knobs. He opened the door, and a wave a cold air blew strands of her bubblegum hair. She shivered. The stair case was hardly seen behind the darkness.

"Oh, he always forgets to light the torches," the Ice King said disappointingly. "Someone's going to slip and fall, one day." He actually sounded like a father. Not a sadistic-princess-kidnapping villain. Princess Bubblegum couldn't help but notice it.

But at the sight of the darkened staircase, she almost stepped back. It looked frightening, like they were stepping down to be eaten by a dungeon dwelling monster. But the Ice King looked quite pleased as he began to lead the way down the darkened staircase.

He lit a torch, with what the princess wasn't sure of. He used the lit torch to light each one on the wall as they descended. Princess Bubblegum nervously followed. _Who lives at the bottom of a dark staircase?_

But down at the bottom was a doorway arch. Light flooded out. The princess took a deep breath, holding it without realizing it. She shouldn't have agreed to it. She knew she shouldn't have.

The Ice King walked through the doorway, the princess in tow. As she walked through, she looked around. The ice room was tinted in light pinks (not too many to make it look girly) and many dark blues. The large bed, draped in a large blue blanket, had a round end, and at the top was a chandelier, bigger and more beautiful than the one in the hallway, with light flooding from the center.

The princess spotted a figure hunched over the desk. She spotted a snow white cape, and hair as white to match. He was scribbling on paper—or that was what it sounded like. She could hear the pen scraping against the parchment.

"Son, I have someone here to see you."

The reply was immediate. And cold. "I'm busy."

"Son—"

He suddenly turned, slowly, and his face was revealed to the princess. His skin was pale blue, just like his father's. His eyes menacing and cold, but a beautiful dark blue. His hair was shaggy, snow-white, and slightly swept to the side. He was _beautiful._

But the coldness of his gaze had Princess Bubblegum recoiling. She hadn't meant to, it just happened. The Ice King was right. The air around him got colder the closer you got.

She watched as he nodded toward her, speaking to the Ice King. "She looks scared," he said, slightly bemused, "I thought you didn't steal princesses anymore?"

"I don't," the Ice King hurriedly replied. "I'm simply trying to crack you out of your shell."

"I don't have a shell, father."

"Oh, but you do."

The Ice Prince rolled his eyes, turning back to his desk before standing and walking through another door to another room—probably a bathroom. The Ice King sighed and walked over to the other side of the room. He put out his hand in mid-air and Princess Bubblegum had to look away as a bright light sprouted from his palm. When the light cleared, she saw that he had made a bed of ice, but with a soft, cushiony mattress, soft white pillow, and a big pink blanket on it. It was nearly half the size of the Ice Prince's bed, but that was all anyone would need to sleep on.

Her face contorted into one of confusion. "Wait…"

"Yes?" he replied.

"I thought this would be a…quick thing."

"Now, Princess, did you really think it would take a few hours? Did you think you could use _science _to fix this?"

She didn't reply, looking downward with a shamed glance even though he was correct in both statements.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. You already said you would help me, right?"

She nodded.

"Then you'll move in."

Her stomach squirmed. He had tricked her. She didn't think she'd have to move in to help him.

She opened her mouth to object, to tell him that she was going to go home, but something stopped her. She was bound by her word. She said she would help, and as a princess, she cannot back down.

"But…but what about the Candy Kingdom?"

"You can rule it from here," he replied, a grin on his pale blue face. "I'll even help you protect it. My penguins are excellent guards."

The Ice King had just offered to help protect _her_ kingdom, even though she knew she should be doing it on her own. That was how she always did it.

Now, she was a little confused of what to think.

X~X~X~X

Finn jerked the controller upward, but the virtual Finn on BMO fell off the cliff to its doom. That had been its last life.

"No!" Finn cried dramatically, dropping the controller.

"Man, sorry dude," Jake replied with a laugh, putting a soda can on the table for Finn. He slurped his own can loudly.

"So…close…"

"Man, dude, calm down, no one can get past level seven."

"But we're _awesome," _Finn complained. "We should be able to beat—"

A ring erupted from BMO, startling both the dog and the human. They both looked at their friend. BMO smiled. "You have a video request!"

"A video request?" Finn didn't even know BMO could get those.

BMO bobbed her head once. "Would you like me to answer?"

Jack cheered, "Heck yeah!"

BMO pressed a button on her body, and her screen flashed. Sitting in a chair was Princess Bubblegum. She looked strange. Unsettled. Her eyes avoided the camera.

They could faintly hear someone behind the camera whisper to her, and she asked, "Oh, it's on?"

She hurriedly looked toward the camera, smiling. She began in her normal, tired voice. "Oh… Hey, Finn. Jake."

They didn't get a chance to reply.

"Listen, I need you to watch the Candy Kingdom for me for a while, okay? I'm helping a…another kingdom in need. Do you think you could handle it for a while?"

Finn and Jake glanced at each other. The both seemed to notice the princess's strange background. "Princess? Where are you?"

She glanced around her. "I'm…in the tundra. Very cold." She shivered. "I have to go, now, so please take care of everything while I'm gone." She smiled, but something about it was strange—forced.

"Bye, Finn! Bye, Jake!"

The screen went blank.

And the two looked utterly confused.


	3. Chapter 3

"Finn, she's only been gone for three hours, and you're already moping."

Finn sat down on Princess Bubblegum's bed. The scent of bubblegum was strongest here. "I know, but…it's the fact we don't know where the princess is."

"Yeah, we do," Jake said. "She's in the tundra."

"Yeah, I don't believe that."

"You think she was lying?"

"I don't know." Finn replied, lying back on the bed. It was so soft, much softer than the tree house beds. "She just seemed…different. And that background looked like she was in the ice castle, not in…the _tundra."_

After their short talk with the princess, they had come over, partially to investigate, and the rest to watch over the kingdom, just as she had requested. Oh, and to hang out. The Candy Kingdom was huge, and it was much more fun to hang out here than at the tree house.

"Maybe she's in an ice cave, and…and…"

"She's trapped?"

Jake didn't reply, probably not wanting to go that far, but Finn was already pulled in. "The princess is in danger! We have to go get her—!"

Suddenly, the doors to the princess's bedroom burst open, and in stepped…

"Gunter?"

The penguin stepped into the room, a blue duffel bag in his flipper. He glanced at the two, and then went straight to the Princess's wardrobe, flinging open the doors and pulling her dresses and…bras… and stuffing them miscellaneously into the duffel bag.

"Hey! Stop stealing the princess's stuff!" Finn walked up to the penguin and reached out to take the bag away from him, but the penguin was quick. He smacked Finn on the cheek once he was in reach.

Finn fell back, holding his cheek, and Jake came over to him to help him up, but was too busy staring at Gunter.

"Are you alright?" Jake asked.

"That…that penguin just slapped me."

Jake snickered. "Yeah, and it was pretty funny."

Finn passed him a glare.

And when they looked again, the penguin was waddling to the door.

They shot to their feet, out the door, and glanced around for the penguin. Sadly, Gunter was already at the other end of the hallway. Jake grew four feet and Finn leaped onto his back. They raced down the hall, never seeing Gunter, but hearing his waddling feet.

But as they rounded the corner, they slammed into Peppermint Butler and hurtled into the ground.

"No!" Finn cried, but the shadow of the penguin faded, as did his footsteps, and then he was gone.

Finn groaned, trying to get out of the jumbled pile of peppermint and dog. "He's gone. How are we gonna tell her that a penguin took her bras?"

Jake snickered. "She's a princess; she probably has a lot of people who could make new clothes for her."

"Yeah, but it's still her stuff, she's gonna need it."

"Okay, let's head to the ice castle," Jake gave in, following Finn out the castle doors. "We might be able to catch him along the way."

X~X~X~X

The Ice Prince practically ignored her. Princess Bubblegum was never ignored. She was usually surrounded with friends, whether she wanted them there or not. But this was the first time she had ever been _ignored. _By anyone.

She sat down on the edge of her new bed. There was no bubblegum scent to it, like the one at home had. This was smelt fresh from the laundry, with an unfamiliar detergent. In some way, it was kind of a relief. She had gotten tired of bubblegum after a while, and tried to use minty fresh shampoo and conditioner, but it was always back to its bubblegum scent after an hour. After all, her hair _was _bubblegum.

She watched as the prince walked this way and that. He actually did look kind of busy, but with what? Planning mathematical equations for when you become king? Counting how many years until you rule?

Eventually, Gunter, the small and favorite penguin servant of the Ice King walked through the doorway, a huge blue duffel bag in flipper. He walked over to her side of the room and placed the bag in front of her feet. She reached down, unzipped it, and gazed at all her familiar dresses.

She smiled warmly at the penguin. "Thank you, Gunter."

He made a happy sound, and turned tail to waddle off.

Luckily, her bed was right by a window, like her room at home did. That was at least one thing that was familiar. She found this comforting in some sort of way.

"If you're going to mope, could you do it elsewhere?"

She looked up at the Ice Prince. He was shooting daggers at her, but she stood her ground. She passed him the same look.

"I'm _not _moping."

He snickered with a roll of his deep blue eyes. She turned her baby blue gaze to her feet.

Princess Bubblegum stood up from her new bed, passing a last glare at him; she picked up the duffel bag and walked into the bathroom on the right side of the room. Anything to get away from his dagger eyes.

She sat it down on the marble counter and shuffled through it to find that Gunter had gotten _everything. _She imagined what everyone would think if they saw a penguin going through her wardrobe and picking out her dresses and undergarments and stuffing them in a bag.

She pulled out a night gown, her favorite one, and began to change. Immediately, the cold hit her hard, and she shivered before yanking her head through the neck hole and pulling it down to cover herself. She felt a little better, but her legs were still bare, and she picked up the duffel bag and walked out of the room, planning to scramble under the covers and warm herself up.

It was still a bit early, but she decided to go ahead and get some rest anyway. It had been a long day.

Princess Bubblegum strode to her bed, ignoring the prince altogether, and slipped into her new bed. She pulled the blanket over herself, over her head and she created a cocoon of warmth.

Her new mission seemed completely impossible.

X~X~X~X

"You don't think he's already made her his wife, has he?" Finn asked the dog beside him. "We're too late! She's already moved in, and now she's stuck."

The two were able to follow Gunter back to the ice castle without his knowing. They were pretty sure the Ice King had Princess Bubblegum. They couldn't believe it took them that long to figure it out. The icy background, the nervousness in the princess's eyes… Why hadn't she asked them for help? She could've used that time on BMO to call for help.

"Stop jumping to conclusions, Finn. I'm sure she's fine." What a lie. Jake was just as nervous as Finn.

"Let's get in there!"

Finn and Jake ran up to the ice kingdom. Finn already had his sword out, and they raced through the gates and into the courtyard.

The icy wind blew harshly, and Finn and Jake had to pause to cover their eyes. The ground began to move, to rumble. It shook, and the two looked up to see the ice, mounds of it, rising from the snow. Huge, boulder-like ice men rose from the ground, icy swords at hand.

Finn and Jake looked at each other. They never even knew that the Ice King was capable of something like this. Still, they looked back at the ten—fifteen—twenty-five—

But the numbers kept growing. Thirty—fifty— there were so many, crowding the courtyard. And the numbers kept growing.

It was as if the Ice King had suddenly gotten a lot smarter.

"Finn, we gotta go back. There's too many. We have to make a plan…"

"No! We can't retreat, Jake—"

He broke off as he saw about fifty more sprout from the icy ground. There had to be about five hundred by now.

"Let's go."

And so they went.

X~X~X~X

Princess Bubblegum woke to the early morning sun. She smiled as she sat up, the blanket falling from her shoulders. And then the cold hit her and she knew exactly where she was.

She hurriedly pulled the blanket back to her shoulders, gazing out the window. _She was stuck here. Alone. _

She took a deep breath, her eyes stinging. She didn't want to cry. There was no reason to, right?

She bent over the side of the bed and picked up her duffel bag. She unzipped it, reached inside, and searched for her pale pink sweater. It took her long enough.

But before she could pull it out, she heard shuffling—no, shifting. She turned her head. The Ice Prince was turning toward her. She disregarded the fact that he actually looked nice as he slept. No hard stares, just peaceful sleeping. He almost looked…_cute._

She mentally shook her head. _No son of the Ice King's could look _cute.

She pulled it out and scrambled to put it on. It provided some warmth, but she'd be okay in it. She slipped out of her bed and, before she put her feet on the ground, she pulled out her pink bunny slippers and stepped into them. Her toes didn't feel too frozen anymore.

She began to walk out of the room, through the doorway and up the stairs, through the double doors. She began to walk through the castle, her stomach groaning from hunger. A few minutes passed and her surroundings never changed. She didn't even know where she was going.

But as she walked, she, thankfully, spotted three penguins, balancing on one another's shoulders, and trying to put a painting on the wall. She sighed in relief.

She waited until they finished hanging the picture, and asked kindly, "Could one of you show me the kitchen?"

The penguins lined up and marched like miniature soldiers down to the kitchen. She giggled.

When she reached it, she looked around for something to eat. The penguins began squawking and squeaking, but somehow she knew exactly what they were saying.

"Of course," she replied, and watched as they set out on the difficult task of making breakfast. Well, it was difficult for penguins.

She watched as they each set out to work. They all completely ignored the eggs—Princess Bubblegum understood why.

Throughout it all, she helped them each reach the high places they couldn't, made sure they didn't fall on the stove, and helped them not burn anything.

When they were done, they ended up cooking way too much, for just her.

And then, the door opened.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I know it's a bit uneventful, but...that's just how the ball rolls. See you later. :D


	4. Chapter 4

"_You _made breakfast?" The Ice Prince asked skeptically.

Princess Bubblegum shook her head. "No. _They _did." She gestured to the penguins and they looked proud.

He rolled his eyes.

"You know, maybe you should be a little more appreciative."

"You know, maybe you should go back to where you came."

Her eyes blazed. "I'm trying to help your father—"

"Well, we both know that's a lost cause—"

"Will you just stop for—"

"_Get out _and I will!"

Princess Bubblegum closed her mouth. "Fine. I will." She grabbed a piece of buttered toast from the set table and stomped off.

Eventually, the penguins caught in an awkward silence followed.

The Ice Prince was alone.

Princess Bubblegum didn't stop until she reached the bedroom. Her heart thumping in her chest, her eyes still blazing angrily.

_He told me to get out._

_And I did._

She found it a little embarrassing that she gave in first, but she knew when to stop. When statements became yells, and yells became screams, that seemed about the right time to stop.

She slammed the doors behind her. She was never one to throw a princess fit, but it wasn't her fault. It was his. He started it, and she finished it.

Princess Bubblegum walked straight to the bedroom door, unintentionally slamming the door in the penguins that had been trailing behind her. They squeaked, and walked off with sad looks on their faces.

The princess stood in the center of the room. She was stuck here. It was still a little hard to believe, but it was true. There was no way out. And even if she could, she wouldn't. She promised she would help, and that was what she was going to do. But…it was him that was the problem…

She finally decided to bathe. She was kind of bored, anyway, and she felt the need to be clean. Princess Bubblegum gathered her duffel bag, and carried it into the bathroom. She sighed in content as she saw the bathtub wasn't made of ice.

She twisted the knobs. She hadn't taken a bath in a while. She knew this would be relaxing.

As the water began to rise, she poured in a bottle of (bubblegum, what else?) bubbles she found in the cabinet. She poured a little much into the water and watched as the bubbles rose. She quickly stripped, and popped herself right in.

The warmth was breathtaking. Here she was, in an ice kingdom, and she was actually warm. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she sunk lower into the warmth. She loved it.

She wasn't sure how long she just sat there, just taking in the newfound warmth, her breathing calm. She seemed to forget about everything that was happening to her for just a moment.

When she was done washing herself, she stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself and taking a step toward the duffel bag on the counter—

And she slipped on the ice.

Princess Bubblegum squealed. She fell forward, but caught herself just enough to make sure she didn't hit her face on the hard ground. Her legs and elbows hurt from the impact.

The doors burst open.

He burst in.

Princess Bubblegum gasped, jerking her head up to meet his eyes. He stared, mouth agape, words forming in his mouth but never coming. He was too shocked to see that she only had a thin towel wrapped around her.

She drew in her breath quickly. "Out, out, OUT!"

And he stepped back out of the bathroom and shut the door, rather calmly.

She breathes in in and out, her cheeks violet red. _Anyone but him. _She probably wouldn't have even minded if it had been Jake, just anyone but the Ice King's _son._

Princess Bubblegum took a deep breath. She wasn't going to hide. Besides, it wasn't like he _really _saw her naked. Everything crucial had been covered, and for that she was grateful. It could have been worse. The towel could have fallen completely off.

She quickly pulled on a knee length pink dress that sprouted out like a blooming flower at the bottom. It was a spaghetti strap at the top, so she pulled on a thick pink sweater. She pulled on a pair of stockings that reached below her knees and a pair on matching pink ballet shoes. Satisfied, she stepped out.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the Ice Prince, fully clothed in princely garbs, shoes and all, sitting against the headboard of his gigantic bed, a book in his pale hands.

He laughed as he saw her rosy cheeks.

"Stop it!" she huffed.

"So, you took…quite a fall."

"I don't want to talk about it."

There was a moment of silence, and he looked down toward his book. The cover looked a bit familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on the name. She sighed.

"I need to help your dad."

"I think we've covered that."

Princess Bubblegum walked over to him, steadily. He didn't look up from the words on the yellowed pages of his book.

"And…you want me out, right?"

He turned his stabbing gaze to her. She took it as a yes.

"Then, I kinda need you to cooperate, 'kay?"

He rolled his eyes. "What is it you need?"

"Your cooperation," she replied, knowing she had already said it. She grabbed his left arm, softly. Strangely, and unexpectedly, he allowed her to.

She felt his wrist, searching for a pulse. Something to indicate that there was something in his chest, beating and alive.

"What are you?" he asked, a bit rudely.

Princess Bubblegum felt a grin begin to form on her lips. She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Just call me Dr. Bubblegum."

She continued. She reached toward him slowly, as not to catch him off guard, and placed her hand on his neck. It was like touching a man who had been locked in an ice capsule for twenty years. She wanted to pull away, but she didn't want to embarrass herself even more than she already had.

Princess Bubblegum leaned forward, feeling his neck slowly for a pulse. She doesn't find it.

_Please,_ she begs silently. _It has to be here. _

She feels the other side, but with no luck.

She glances at his face as she pulls away, as if asking with her eyes to do what she is about to do.

He just turns away. She takes it as a yes.

Hesitantly, she begins to button down his shirt. Her fingers are twitching. She's shaking, too. She's never had to do this for anyone.

When it's halfway down, she pulls the fabric apart. She sees his soft, bluish skin. She tries not to stare too long, and she places her hand onto his chest. It's slightly warmer than the rest of him.

She moves her hand around for a long while, searching. She jumps slightly when he takes a deep breath. From the corner of her eye, she sees his eyes, staring downward to the bed, near the book he has placed beside him. His gaze is soft, yet his eyebrows are arched, as if deep in thought.

_He probably figures I'm here to make sure he turned out right. After all he was born not a long while ago._

Princess Bubblegum glances up at him; hand still on his smooth chest. He looks up, too, his concentrated stare on her. She looks down a moment, then closes her eyes and presses her ear to his chest.

She thought she heard the smallest _thump-thump._

She couldn't decide if it was her imagination or not.

She decided she imagined it.


	5. Chapter 5

When she finally pulled away, the Ice Prince smirks. "So, anything wrong?"

She glanced up at his face, stared a moment, and then looked away. "May be missing a vital organ or two, but other than that, you're fine."

He rolled his eyes. Got up and began to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Last time, I checked, _you're_ locked up here, not _me_."

"I'm not locked up here," the princess replied, hands meeting her hips. She glanced around her, wondering what she would do for the rest of the day. She hesitated before forcing the words out of her mouth. "Can...I come with?"

He glanced in her direction, suspicion high in his face. "And why in the land of Ooo would I do that?"

"Because I just might go through all of your stuff while you're gone," Princess Bubblegum chimed as innocently as possible.

He rolled his eyes—something he seemed to do a lot. He sighed a sigh of defeat and the princess happily followed him.

He led her up the staircase, through the bedroom doors and down the icy hallways. She tightened her sweater and continued on.

They walked on for long time before he opened the doors to a tall, blue door. Nothing fancy, like the doors to his bedroom. He unlocked the door and walked in. The room was bright blue, with a mini chandelier at its ceiling.

Looking down toward the floor, she glanced around, gasping. "What _is _this?"

"The nursery."

All around her, little penguins danced around the floor, waddling across the ground. Pairs of older penguins raced after them, trying to gather them to feed them or to put them asleep.

"Oh, my _goodness!" _She gasped, dropping down to her knees. She picked one up that waddled up to her. It squawked happily and she rubbed him against her face.

"They're adorable!"

"I know."

"I didn't know you had a penguin nursery!" She put the penguin down and got down on her hands and knees. She picked up a little ball and threw it. Two or three baby penguins waddled after it. The smallest one snatched it from under their noses and brought it right back to Princess Bubblegum.

"And they're so smart…" She muttered, patting the little penguin on the head.

"They're trained."

"Still…awe, look at their little faces!" She picked up another one and smothered it will hugs. It got an annoyed look.

She put it down and gazed at each little bundle of joy.

The Ice Prince couldn't help but notice how easily impressed she was.

* * *

"We can't just leave her there!"

The Peppermint Butler cringed at Finn's harshness, but replied anyway, "I think we should trust the princess in her matters. She has never been known to lie to her subjects."

"But the Ice King kidnapped her! And he's forcing her to say all these things that aren't true so we won't come after her!" Finn threw his hands in air, anger vibrating his voice. His mind was throwing him scenarios of what the Ice King was doing to her. He didn't want to wait any longer.

"Finn, calm down." Jake placed his paw on his arm. "What if what she said was true?"

'What?" Finn jerked his head toward his brother, eyes accusing.

"What if she is really just trying to help another kingdom out?" Jake looked sadly into Finn's eyes, as if willing him to listen and consider the possibilities.

"Why would she help out the _Ice King? _He's kidnapped her and locked her up and—"

"Finn, you know Princess Bubblegum. She's too nice to hate someone forever, and she's a princess. It's her duty to help those in need," Jake reasoned. He gazed sadly at his heartbroken friend. He knew another reason why Finn was freaking out. He _loved _PB with all his heart. He couldn't help the overwhelming feelings of worry and sorrow for the one he had loved for so long.

"And you can't overreact, yet, Finn. We can't crash in there and try to save someone who doesn't need saving."

"But, Jake—"

"We'll give PB a little more time. She'll ask us for help if she needs it."

"But that's what I'm saying! What if she _can't _ask us for help 'cause she's being held captive?!" Finn looked desperately between the dog and the butler, but both seemed to agree with each other.

Finn stomped away.

But they were all sure of one thing.

Finn wasn't going to stop until the truth was revealed.

* * *

"No, no, Gunter," the Ice King gushed as he strode into the nursery, shutting the door with his heel so no babies could slip out. "You're not having any more babies until next Tuesday."

The penguin made an irritated sound.

"What are you going to name them all?" Princess Bubblegum asked curiously.

"That's easy," the Ice King replied. "Goonter, Gunther, Günter, and Goonther."

"What about all the girls?" she replied skeptically.

"Hmm…" The Ice King lifted his chin and gained a thoughtful look. The Ice Prince and her watched warily.

Then he looked back at her. "Goonter, Gunther, Günter, and Goonther."

"Don't you want to be able to tell them apart?" she asked, looking between the prince and the king.

"No," they answered simultaneously.

"What? Why?"

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" The Ice King asked, putting Gunter down on the ground. "They all look the same, well, besides my little Gunter."

"Well, I make it a goal to know everyone who works in the Candy Kingdom," she pointed out, crossing her arms loosely over her dress as not to wrinkle it.

"We don't."

Princess Bubblegum looked around the nursery. All these creatures going with names like Gunter, Goonter, and Gunther? That would be horrible.

"Then can I name them?"

The two ice men glanced at each other skeptically. "And how do you plan on remembering all their names?" The Ice King inquired.

She passed a moment, then blurted, "Stickers! We can write their names down on stickers and stick it on them until we remember them!"

"You could never memorize every single one of their names," The Ice Prince put it.

Were they _trying _to rain on her parade? She was helping them, for Pete's sake! "I can try."

"Okay, you can try, princess," the Ice King sighed, and with a wave of his hand, on the ground appeared little ice badges, about two or three hundred. "There you go. Good luck!" And with that, he turned on his heel and left, never letting a single penguin through the door.

* * *

For the next few days, Princess Bubblegum spent the rest of her spare time in the nursery, telling each penguin their new name and watching them use their peaks to engrave it into the eyes. She would then lick the back of the ice badge and stick it onto their coat.

She spent so much time in there, she would sometimes fall asleep against the crib, or be found cuddling one of the penguins and using it as a pillow. When she did make it back to the bedroom, she would awaken with bags under her eyes and her hair uncombed.

She had never worked so hard on any project in her life, and she was desperately proud of it.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey. Wassup?

Please review. It'd be very much appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

Princess Bubblegum was working late for the fourth night in a row. She was nearly done allotting names for all the penguins of the ice kingdom, leaving Gunter's as it was since he was so dearly loved (she thought) by the Ice King.

She wrote neatly on her clip board of the two names she was about to use. Three hundred twenty six names had already been used. There weren't that many nameless once left, so she hoped she would be able to finish tonight.

With a start, Princess Bubblegum began with a sneezing fit. She hurriedly put her arm in front of her face. She sneezed about four times before finally pulled away, sniffling rather unladylike. She knew being in the Ice Kingdom for so long was affecting her greatly, but she decided to continue. Besides, how bad could a cold get?

"Okay, so you can be Galina," she pointed with her pink ink pen to a small, frail looking penguin with a little tuft of fur sticking out among the rest of its coat. "You'll be Garret," she gestured to the one beside Galina. "And you'll be…hmm…Garry? No! I already used that…"

She studied her list with fierce examination and finally thought of something unused. "Garin! You'll be Garin."

She watched as the three newly named penguins, Garret, Galina, and Garin pecked their names into their ice badges. When they were done and looked up expectantly at the princess of the candy kingdom, she smiled through a tired gaze and licked the back of the badge and stuck it to their black and white coats.

She smiled. She thought they'd feel a lot better about themselves if they had an identity. With a sigh, she rubbed her face. She hadn't thought it would take so long to give each penguin a name. She would be much happier when it was over, when she could catch up on her sleep and relax for a while.

She admitted that she was completely off track. The more she delayed the fact that she was _supposed_ to be finding his heart, if there even was one, the longer it would take to return to her beloved people.

She was so caught up in thought; she didn't even realize she had fallen asleep at the desk in the nursery.

* * *

The Ice Prince had gone a whole two days without even looking at the princess's face, a time he enjoyed thoroughly. He cared to his daily duties—tending to the kingdom's needs, while his father handled the big stuff.

Two days, and their captive—well, almost—was nowhere in sight. Despite his efforts, he was becoming suspicious.

And the fact that she was willing to name each and every penguin that lived in the ice castle was a strange aspect of his budding suspicion of her character. Although his father would not tell him the true reason she was here in the first place, he had suspected she was here to make sure he had been produced correctly. Ice _can _be unpredictable when not sculpted correctly. And from what he had heard, the Princess of the Candy Kingdom was a very talented scientist. Maybe not a surgeon, but a scientist nonetheless.

But he still was a but unsure. She acted as if she would be a permanent resident of the Ice Castle, and he could hear her teeth chattering, even buried under the blankets. She wouldn't last another week.

The Ice Prince, before he retreated to his chambers for rest, found himself wandering down to the nursery. He was much more curious then he let on about how far she had gotten in naming them. He figured she'd give up around one hundred, but for the past few nights she's been spending every ounce of her time in that nursery.

He hadn't considered her the hard-working type. She was a princess, and he had somewhat considered princesses to be a bit stuck up, and ignorant with their responsibilities. She—as he would soon see for himself—_wasn't. _

He made it to the tall, blue door and opened it slowly, hoping not to startle her. Before penguins could slip through the crack in the door, he forced himself through and walked right in. Most of the little penguins were nestled in their mother's and father's fur, little snores escaping their miniature bodies.

He sighed once he spotted the princess with her head on the desk, her form hunched over and the bags under her eyes hardly visible under her bubblegum hair.

The Ice Prince walked over to her and bent over. He nudged her.

She didn't budge.

He shook her shoulder.

Now, she noticed. And she didn't like it. She shook him away and sighed in her sleep, muttering something uncomprehend able under her sweet bubblegum breath.

He sighed, and shook her harder. "Get up."

"No…" she muttered irritably, turning to face the other way. She sneezed loudly and wiped her nose with her sleeve. When she turned back, head still resting on her arms, he saw the redness of her nose.

"Come on," he ushered sternly. "You're getting a cold."

"No, I'm not, I'm fine," she argued, eyes still closed. "I…" She took a deep breath. "I have a lot of work to do here..."

He looked up at the ceiling. _She was working herself into hysteria…_

With an agitated growl, the prince went into action. He spun the chair so she was facing him. She was startled as she was ripped away from her pillow desk and looked up with a frantic eye, but it didn't last long. His long, sleeved arm was soon wrapped around her waist and she was pulled into the air. He caught her legs and swept them upward. He was now _carrying _her bridal style.

"I'm so _freaking _tired of hearing you come in at one in the morning. It's exhausting."

A moment of silence, strange thoughts whirling in the princess's mind. She guessed she hadn't been as quiet as she thought if he knew she was coming in that late.

She sneezed three times, trying to hold back as much of the force of them as possible. She sniffled, rubbing her nose red.

"And you're sick," he added, looking down at her once.

She couldn't deny it now.

He opened the chamber doors and descended the stairs at a normal speed. When he had made it to the bedroom, the lights came on, blaring in her eyes. It took her a moment to adjust.

He dropped her onto her bad, surprisingly gently. Princess Bubblegum grabbed her duffel bag, her body protesting with every movement, and pulled out her night gown. She turned to see where the prince was.

The Prince had stripped himself of his shirt and had tossed it onto the ground. Her cheeks glowed trf and she quickly turned around. But, the Prince went right into the bathroom.

She quickly stripped herself of her day clothes and hurriedly began to pull it over her head. When he opened the door, it was only halfway down and she yanked it down over her underwear.

He paid no mind and she collapsed there on the irresistibly soft sheets, hardly able to keep her eyes open.

She buried herself under the blankets, and fell asleep then and there.

* * *

She groaned when her alarm clock she had set went off. Even after eight hours of sleep, it still wasn't enough. After all, ever since she had started this project, she had it set for seven A.M so she could get a lot of work done.

But the prince was getting even more irritated with it than she was. As she reached over to press the snooze button, there was a loud shuffling, stomping, and then, she heard her alarm clock crush into bits.

"Hey!" she cried, reaching over and pulling the lamp string. As the lights came on, the first thing she saw was her little, plain black alarm clock, a huge crater in the center—his _fist_?

Before she could argue any longer, she heard him say, "I hate _that _thing." She watched as he walked right back to his bed, dropped onto it and went back to sleep.

She didn't say anything else, partially because she kind of agreed.

* * *

The next time she woke up, it was around eleven. She had slept well, besides the one pesky awakening of her alarm clock. Other than that, she felt much better. She was kind of glad he forced her into the bedroom for sleep…and smashed her alarm clock.

She stretched, sitting up in bed. Looking over, she could see that the Ice Prince was out of bed, his sheets tangled and the duvet hanging on the corner.

Princess Bubblegum quickly through the covers from her, seeing it was nearly noon. She was starving, and she soon remembered why. She had skipped dinner last night due to her work in the nursery.

Getting up, she realized her strength and energy still hadn't fully returned. She walked as if she were a part of the living dead as she made her way into the bathroom, brushing her teeth, and then just gazing at herself.

Her bubblegum hair, usually long a velvety was now bedraggled and wavy. Her big, baby blue eyes were dull and the bags under her eyes, which had faded only slightly, were still very much visible to the human eye. Her pink-tinted skin was a bit paler than usual, and she was freezing.

Rubbing her eyes of sleep, she decidedly brushed her hair until it at least looked presentable and tried to rub the bags beneath her eyes away, but of course, as she had suspected, it didn't work even in the slightest.

She grabbed a box of tissues and blew her nose a few times, hoping it wouldn't run all day. When she was done, with one last irritated glance in the mirror, she walked out the bathroom doors and made her way into the kitchen.

It was still bustling. The Ice Prince was in there, reading a small book, different than the last one she saw, and taking chunks out of a deep red apple bigger than his fist. The Ice King was trying to get the penguins to cook eggs, but all three shook their heads.

"Oh, come on!" the Ice King bellowed. "Their chicken eggs, not penguin eggs.

_"Aye, but they are fellow winged creatures, our brethren!" _But of course, none in the room could interpret this from the penguin's mouth besides the Ice King.

"Your _brethren?_ Are you mad?!"

"Morning," murmured the princess as she trudged into the room. Every one turned to gaze at her royal awfulness.

"You look like you've been run over," the Ice Prince snickered, hardly gazing over his book.

"My my, princess. This is…quite a look for you, isn't it, Gunter?"

Gunter squawked. She couldn't tell if it was in agreement or if he was standing up for her.

"I know…" She hardly glanced at either as she made her way to the fridge and pulled out the butter. She made herself an English muffin.

She pulled the muffin to her face, but before she could take a bite out of it, she began another sneezing fit and all of them landed on her beautiful English muffin. She sighed as he stared at it. She didn't want to eat it now, after all the germs from her cold were on it. That might make her even sicker.

She sadly dumped it in the trash.

"I'm…going to finish naming the penguins," she yawned, her stomach growling.

"You should go back to sleep."

"I can't stop now. If I do, I'll never get it done."

The Ice Prince glanced at her then back at his little book. "Fine."

She sighed and walked out of the room. She hadn't felt this bad in years.

As she made it to the nursery, she opened the door and slipped in. She grabbed her clip board and gazed over her list once, before setting out to gather the unnamed penguins.

"Okay, everyone without a name come to this side of the room. The rest go to the left."

The penguins blinked once before going into action. She watched as each and every one of the penguins retreated to the left side of the room.

Confused, she went over her list, not wanted to assume they were confused. When she found no mistake in her work, she looked back at them. "No, guys, uh…if you have a name tag on you, then go to _this _side of the room, if you don't go to this side." She gestured to each side.

They still all retreated to the right side of the room.

Her confusion grew. She looked down at her clip board again, flipping to the last page and back to the front, before going to the back again.

That was when she noticed it. The last twenty names were scrolled down in handwriting that wasn't hers. In fact, she wasn't sure whose it was. She gazed over the names, each one cuter or sweeter than the next.

"Now, who would be kind enough to finish my work for me?"

* * *

Hey, guys.

I'm so happy I'm able to update this quickly. I get a case of writer's block after a few chapters, but I've kept going. ~claps for me~

By the way, any of my fellow readers have ideas on...uh, _moments_ between the Ice Prince and our favorite princess? I really want to hear them and hopefully use them! Messege them to me!


	7. Chapter 7

Princess Bubblegum happily dropped her clip board onto the desk and it clashed on the wood with a pang. She already felt light-headed with sleep, and she could feel her clogged sinuses breaking off her airway even more than it already had. She desperately needed sleep.

She walked the long way (not that there was any other way) to the bedroom. She felt sweet relief just at her fingertips, but it felt like each step took five seconds longer than it should have. But then, she was there. She threw open the doors and jogged down the stairs.

She managed to reach the bottom without slipping and trudged the rest of her way to her bed. She sighed in content and she threw herself into the pile of mattress and blanket. She buried herself in its depths and slept.

She awoke to a prodding to her shoulder. "Mmm…huh?"

"Here."

Her eyes were still closed. It took her a moment to get the momentum to open them. A bowl of steaming soup was in his pale blue hands. It smelled delightful, especially to her starving stomach.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, taking the bowl from his hands.

"Four hours."

She lifted the spoon to her lips and took a bite. Hazelnut soup. "Thank you."

He grunted.

She ate in silence, him standing awkwardly beside her, looking away. She quickly finished the bowl so they didn't have to sit in that awkward silence any longer.

"And, here." He pushed into her hand a few pills. She stared a moment. "They're cold pills. I had to send Gunter three kingdoms away just to get them."

"Oh," she popped a pill into her mouth and took the half full glass of water from his hands. It was icy. She took the pills one by one and finally handed the glass back. "Tell Gunter I appreciate his effort."

"Will do," was his only reply. "You should get some more rest."

She nodded. "Okay…"

His gaze was a bit softer, probably because she was sick. She didn't like being pitied.

"Good day," she muttered, crawling back under the covers. "Oh, and…thanks for finishing naming the penguins for me."

"I didn't. Gunter did. He does almost everything around here…"

He left quickly.

And she couldn't help but giggle hysterically at how bad he was at lying.

* * *

She slept for a little longer. She was already feeling better. When she woke up, at six P.M., she went to take a look at herself in the mirror. The bags under her eyes were gone. Her nose didn't feel stuffed, but it didn't run, either. She brushed her hair, her teeth, too. She was so glad that her cold was already dimming. The Ice Prince walked in, and she walked out of the bathroom to meet him.

"You look…normal."

She smiled. "I know. Thanks for the medicine and the soup."

He nodded and went over to his desk, sitting in his chair and placing the few pages in his hand on the desk. He began to work on them, eyes studying the paper.

She kind of stood there, waiting for him to say something. She was getting kind of curious as to what he was doing. "You know a lot of science, right?"

"A-huh," she replied easily, smirking. _"Tons." _

"You don't need to brag," he shot back. "I just need some help on a few sheets."

She nodded and practically skipped over to his desk. She couldn't help the overwhelming glee she felt that the Ice Prince needed _her _help. She liked feeling needed.

She picked up the papers and looked over them, word for word. "Um…Ice Prince? How…old are you?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "A few months."

"Are you're already at this level of science?"

"I'm a fast learner," he smirked devilishly.

"I can see," she replied. She went back to the first paper and placed it on the paper. "Okay, so, the atomic number of an element is also the number of protons the element has. If the atomic number of an element is 6, then how many protons does it have?"

"6."

"Right. And so, usually it also has the same number of electrons, depending on if it's an equal atom. And see the atomic mass here?" She pointed to it on the periodic table.

"Yeah?"

"We round that up to a whole number and so the atomic mass would be 12."

"Okay."

"And in order to find the correct number of neutrons, we'd have to subtract the atomic mass would by the atomic number, which leaves us with…?"

"6," he replied. He was right about one thing. He was a fast learner. "That was rather simple."

"Eh, it gets harder as you go up and there are more energy levels…"

"Huh?"

"We'll get to that later. Just answer the first five or six questions with what I just told you."

* * *

A half hour later, all three papers were done, scrawled in his neat handwriting. He put them down on the corner of the desk and leaned back in his chair. "Thanks."

"No problem," her smile never disappeared. The Ice Prince found himself getting rather fond of it.

"We should go to bed," he stated firmly, standing in his chair and walking past the princess.

"Really? It's kind of early, don't you think?" she replied.

"Yeah, but you still have the sniffles and I need to give you a few more pills. You should be all better in the morning."

"But…I'm not tired…"

"I know, but you're just going to have to bear with it, 'kay?" The Ice Prince took off his shirt. He was already in some sweats and planned to sleep in those.

Princess Bubblegum was getting tired of him doing that when she was in the room. She turned around, yanking her eyes away from his lanky, muscular body. "Would you quit that?"

"Quit what?"

"Taking off your shirt when I'm right here. It's bothering me."

" You've never seen a guy with his shirt off?" he asked with a smirk, smiling as she turned, blush filling her cheeks.

"No, I…I mean…"

"Oh, I see. You just like seeing me—"

Her cheeks burned with rage. "No! That's not it at all!"

He began to walk toward her. She found herself taking a step back at his advance. "Oh…really…?"

With a huff of breath, she turned on her heel. "I'm going to sleep."

"I thought you weren't tired—"

"Shut up!"


	8. Chapter 8

When she awoke the next morning, she felt free from the horrible symptoms of her sickness. His hypothesis had been correct—she was completely cured. She felt so much better, now that she had rest and medicine.

Sitting up in her bed, she rubbed her eyes and smiled as she saw sunlight pouring in through the window. It was almost eight—early even for her.

Her eyes wandered to the Ice Prince, where he lay sprawled against his bed, the sheets and blankets a mess underneath him. His hair askew and his clothes wrinkled from sleep. His lips were parted and he was snoring lightly.

She didn't bother dressing, but went straight down to the kitchen, running her fingers through her hair as she went to make sure looked at least a little presentable. When she arrived, the sweet aroma of breakfast roamed the air, making her mouth water. She could smell the batter of pancakes and the meaty smell of bacon and/or sausage.

When she opened the door, she was met with angry squawks. It was early and the food wasn't ready, and they were most likely mad that she had come when they weren't prepared. She muttered a sincere apology and sat at the table.

They worked as quickly as possible and set a plate of steaming food in front of her. She smiled politely and gave them each a kiss on their furry foreheads. They waddled away with silly grins, if you could call them that.

The food was great, and they had really taken what she had taught them and took it to a whole new level, adding spices she wasn't even sure she had tasted before, and cooking it to different degrees. Although hard to admit, the food actually tasted better when they made it.

"Oh, good morning, Princess." She turned to see the Ice King walk in, freshly dressed in his kingly blue robes, his eyes still trying to wake from sleep.

"Good morning," she replied, taking bites from her toast. She had to admit that it was still strange that she spoke to him in such a friendly manner, after all, he had wanted to wed her, and she had said no every time. Now she was helping him, and he didn't find it awkward at all. Maybe he really _had_ given up on kidnapping princesses, or even trying to marry one at all.

She felt bad for him then, for it struck her that he just wanted to be truly happy. His kingdom would do much better with a queen's touch to things, and, she guessed that was all he wanted.

He sat across from her and the penguins, balanced on one another's shoulders, placed a plate in front of him. He sighed. "Still no eggs."

Gunter threw a wad of pancakes at him and it hit the side of his head and slowly slid off onto the floor. Another penguin, Gilda, swept it up immediately. The Ice King simply sighed once more.

"Don't worry," the princess reassured, "the rest of it tastes great."

As a few minutes past, Princess Bubblegum found herself poking at her food. She wondered how Finn and Jake were. Were they taking care of the Candy Kingdom well? Even more so, how were they, in general, doing?

She voiced her thoughts very suddenly, "I wonder how Finn and Jake are doing."

The Ice King smiled. "Oh, they're fine, I know. They've been trying to get into the Ice Kingdom all week."

"Oh… Wait, what?"

But Princess Bubblegum's new and improved health did not affect her hearing. She leaned in a little, just to be sure she could hear him correctly.

"My new and improved ice guards have kept them at bay." The Ice King smiled victoriously, his surprisingly pearly whites standing out amongst the blue paleness of the rest of him.

"Ice guards?" The Princess stood from the table abruptly. "Are they okay?"

"Oh, of course. They're fine."

She sighed. "How do they know I'm here?"

"I don't know, Princess." She trusted the truthfulness in his eyes. He wasn't lying—he really didn't know.

"What are we going to do?" She asked. She pushed her chair in and began to pace back and forth across the dining room.

"I don't know. Should we really do anything?"

"Yes!" She turned toward the Ice King, a look of disbelief on her face. "Of course, we have to do something. They think you kidnapped me!"

"But I did, Princess," he replied in a mouthful of pancake.

"Wait—I mean—they think that I don't want to be here, and I do."

_"You _want to be _here?" _

"Yes—no—" The Princess took a moment to recollect herself. "I want to be here to help you."

"Oh." He took a deep breath. "Maybe you should just video chat them again."

"Okay. Could I use your computer?"

The Ice King nodded and Princess Bubblegum followed him to his bedroom. Inside, in front of the Ice King's bed, she could see Golia and Gertrude surrounding Gunter, clapping their flippers happily. Walking forward into the room, Princess Bubblegum saw why. Gunter was in a wig that dragged across the ice. She now carried a head of tangly, black, straight hair.

"Gunter! I told you not to play with my Marceline wig!" The Ice King scorned.

That explained.

Princess Bubblegum walked over to the computer and sat down, waiting for him to set it up. He followed her and typed vigorously on the keyboard, and made the call. He aimed the camera on her, and Princess Bubblegum waited anxiously for eight whole seconds before they answered.

"Princess!" Finn exclaimed, leaning toward the screen. Jake had a worried look over his shoulder.

"Hey, guys. How's it going in the Candy Kingdom?" she replied cheerfully.

They completely ignored her happy attitude. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Are you married—?"

"What? No, I'm fine, I promise," She replied hurriedly. _Married? What were they thinking?_ "I just called to check in—"

"Princess, were coming to get you, I promise—"

"Finn," she gave an airy laugh. "I don't need saving. I'm fine—"

"We know you're under his control. Don't worry. We're coming for you."

Finn's face was so determined. Jake held this worried look, as if unsure of his friend's actions. Princess Bubblegum gave him a pleading look. _Get Finn in check, Jake. Do…something!_

She looked back to Finn. "Finn, please, I'm fine, I really am. I'm not married—or starving—I 'm fine! Finn, please—listen!"

"Goodbye, Princess."

The screen went blank.

Princess Bubblegum sat back in her chair, her heart racing. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but to no avail.

"Oh, no."


	9. Chapter 9

Princess Bubblegum lay perched on her bed, her hair strewn across the sheets. As soon as she realized how long it was, she wondered silently if she should cut it. Her heart leapt at the thought. She had always been anxious at the thought of messing with her hair permanently. She had always been afraid of ruining it. It was getting a bit out of hand, though.

She sighed as her mind wandered to Finn. What would he do? Why couldn't he listen to her just this once? She didn't need to be saved.

She shook her head. She'd cross that bridge when she got to it.

Princess Bubblegum sat up quickly as the door opened. The Ice Prince strode in, shut the door behind him, and asked quizzically, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just…calculating scientific theories, counting the icicles..."

He nodded and then sat on the edge of the bed. He looked downward, a hand on his face.

"You…okay?" she questioned, sitting up straighter.

"Yeah, I just…" he paused. "Do…you know how to dance?"

She looked flabbergasted for a long moment. Then she smiled her sweet smile that could melt butter, "Yes, of course. It's kind of a requirement for a princess." She walked forward to where she was only a couple of feet away.

"Do you think…you could…?"

She laughed at his nervousness. "Teach you? Sure."

His embarrassment crawled up to his cheeks. She giggled as he cautiously approached her.

Princess Bubblegum turned toward the speakers in the corner of the room, a computer in between them. It was the type of computer his dad had, the holographic kind, with the green-tinted screen. She typed in the address to a music sharing website and took a moment to think of a slow song. When she had one figured out, she typed in the title and clicked the correct selection.

She came back to the Ice Prince. She noticed his face tinted with a light shade of pink, looking away for a distraction. _It's just dancing, _she thought.

"Here, just put your hands on my waist." She reached out and gripped his cold hands softly. He was forced to step closer as she guided his hands to her waist. She rested her hands on his neck. They gently began swaying.

"Why do you need to know how to dance?" she asked curiously.

"My dad's throwing me a birthday party in the ballroom. It's ridiculous."

"No, it's not. It sounds fun." She smiled reassuringly.

They swayed gently, the song seeming to wash away all the negativity they had had ever since she came. It was nice to just forget about it for a while and act like they had been friends since the beginning. It even helped her forget about her predicament with Finn for a while.

Suddenly, the Ice Prince lurched forward, his forehead landing on her clothed shoulder. She gasped, pulling her head back. His hair was soft against her skin. A small aspect that she couldn't help but voice in her mind.

"Princess Bubblegum…" he muttered. She shivered—not but the coldness of his skin but by the sincerity in his voice. It was nearly unbelievable how soft and sweet his voice sounded.

"The truth is…I don't have long to live."

* * *

Finn stood in front of the candy people, looking as gallant as a knight as he spoke, his words ringing in the ears of all the Princess's subjects. "Will you let our princess stay in the hands of the Ice King? Or will you save her? The longer we wait, the more danger she could be in."

A small voice broke announced the curiosity of them all. Finn couldn't pinpoint who, exactly, though it was definitely a puny male voice. "But you're a hero, Finn! Why couldn't you save her?"

Finn looked down, turning sideways as not to face the crowd full on. "I couldn't. It seems the Ice King has gotten a bit smarter."

"How smart?" another voice replied.

"Smart enough to construct a never-ending supply of ice golems."

The crowd was barely able to make out the mutter, but the majority of them gasped, some putting their hands in their faces.

"What do you suggest we do?" one called out, her voice piping up in fright.

Finn sighed, turning back to face the crowd head on. He looked at them; body's small and frail, unable to handle much. He closed his eyes a moment, deep in thought. And when he looked up, the crowd gaped at the fierce determination written clear across his face.

"The only thing we can."

* * *

_**Hey, guys. I know it's short, but I wanted it to be very suspenseful.**_

**_I doubt any of you know what's going to happen. Trust me, it's gonna get pretty intense between Finn, PB, and Ice Prince. I mean, like, major drama bomb. But, the story is only half over, if not less. It's going to get good, and I'm so happy I have the influence to finish this story._**

**_I used to use Mibba to post my stories on, but it's...not very good. You can create layouts for the story, but ever since they majorly changed the website, it's gotten incredibly difficult. Not only that, but on Fanfiction, there is ALWAYS at least one person who appreciates your work. On Mibba, everyone is so much more critical. They'll click the title, look over it, and leave. On Fanfiction, you guys actually give stories a chance. _**

**_I may stick here for a while, though my stories are still on Mibba. Some of them aren't written as well as this one because they're a bit older. :/_**

**_Sorry, I'm blabbing. Please tell me what you think of this little...predicament we've got going on here. :)_**


	10. Chapter 10

It was a joke. That was all it could have been. But she was already deeply pulled in that it was impossible to escape.

Just thinking about it quenched her heart. She was beginning to become scared. Why? Why did he not have very long to live? Was it because he had no heart? That had to be it. No one could live without a heart, even the Ice Prince.

He has only been in this world for three months, at the least, and now he would be taken from the land of Ooo into…where? Where would he go?! More importantly, why would he have to leave in the first place?

He gently pulled away, taking in her expression. Her eyes were glazed over, tears threatening to spill but never taking their leave. They sat in a moment of achingly long silence, staring into each other's eyes…

And then his face began to change. It at first morphed into a grin, then a full smile, and then he began to laugh. Softly at first, but then he couldn't contain himself. He burst into full on laughter. "Man, I sure got you, didn't I?"

_No. _The tears were really going to spill. How could he do that…?

"Sure makes for a great pick-up line, though, doesn't it?"

She closed her eyes, trying not to let him see her cry. The sadness she had felt when he said it didn't mix well with the anger boiling inside of her.

She struck him.

Princess Bubblegum had never struck anyone before. Not once in her life had she ever purposely hit someone. But with the flat of her hand, she slapped him right across the cheek. It felt good to relieve her anger this way, but she knew it wasn't right.

Her tears fell on her cheeks. She held the hand she had just used as if to savor the feel of her hand on his face.

_"You jerk!" _she screamed. "And I tried to help you. I wanted to help you… But I shouldn't have even bothered." Her voice cracked. "You have no heart! You never will, either!"

The Ice Prince held his wounded cheek, though she could see the pinkness of it through his fingers. He looked shocked. No other expression besides it.

Tears blurred her vision as she fled the room.

* * *

Days began to pass, and they were all achingly quiet. Dinner was silent and awkward, though the Ice King did try to liven it up by making the penguins perform silly plays, which they would all sit and watch, the penguins squawking their lines, with the Ice King being the only one who understood any of it.

Princess Bubblegum really did try to pay attention to the penguins, who had been begging for attention ever since she had gone nearly mute. Though when they did confront her, she would merely smile, pat their furry heads, and walk away.

She felt like she should apologize, but why? She had hit him, but he deserved it, pulling a trick like that. She would apologize as soon as he did. After all, she knew he hated her, but to tell her that he would _die? _Despicable.

After a couple of days, Princess Bubblegum finally got up the strength to ask the Ice King for a laboratory. It would help with an experiment she had been aching to try out, so that she wouldn't catch another cold while she was staying here in the Ice Castle.

"I don't see why not. Hey! You could use my secret sanctum, just remove all the ninja stuff and whatnot," the Ice King had replied. She had simply nodded, a smile grazing her lips. Even the fact that she'd be in a lab again didn't lift her spirits. A laboratory was one of her most familiar settings.

So the Ice King had Gunter, Gilda, Genevieve, and Garret help remove all the ninja things and place them (and by place, she means stuff) into the closet. The Ice King so generously made her some scientific instruments, crafted solely from his ice. She set to work immediately.

They didn't see the princess very often after that. She spent most of her time in the lab, absorbed in her work, whatever that may have been. Gunter would bring her meals, but when he returned about forty-five minutes later to retrieve the dish, he would see the food had hardly been picked at. Still, everyday, at the times 9:30 a.m., 1:00, and 8:00, he would bring her meals filled to the brim with fine delicacies. And every time he returned, they'd only have a few things picked at.

The Ice King was sitting down at the dining table, the Ice Prince right across from him. The both watched Gunter fill a plate with a load of food, and then leave. They both knew the plate would return, hardly eaten.

"I'm getting worried about our princess," the Ice King murmured, picking at his half eaten plate of spaghetti.

"She's not our princess," the Ice Prince corrected harshly, giving him a hard stare over his book, _Legend of the Enchiridion. _

The Ice King sighed, placing his fork in his bowl and looking downward. Then, with a glint of hope in his dark eyes, he glanced upward toward his heir. "Maybe you should go check on her. See that she's well."

"She's fine," the Ice Prince shot back quickly, clinging desperately to the excuse as to not see her.

"Awe, come on, son. Go check on her."

The Ice Prince stood abruptly. He left, letting Gunter pass through the door with a plate a food, hardly touched. He sighed as he saw it, then left the room.

The Ice Prince walked slowly to the secret sanctum, in no rush to get there. There had been no point in arguing with his father, unless he wanted him to throw an icy tantrum.

He hesitated as he approached the doorway, but walked in, knocking on the doorway a couple of times.

"I'm busy," she replied, not even glancing at him.

"I can see that," the Ice Prince replied, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway.

"Did you need something?" He stared at the back of her head. Her bubblegum stands were a bit misshaped, you could say. A few strands sticking out of the top. He sighed, finding himself wanting to stroke it down with his hands. _What? Why would he want to do that…?_

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

She turned to face him, two vials of chemicals in her hands, one a dusty brown color, the other looked like liquid gold. "What is it, then?"

He gazed at her a moment before answering. "The Ice King's concerned that you're not eating."

"I am."

"Hardly."

"'Hardly' is still something."

Princess Bubblegum returned to her work, placing the chemicals on the table and turned to another table. The Ice Prince noticed a strange looking bracelet on the table, wires sticking out of it. She began to work on connecting different wires before her angle turned slightly, obscuring his view.

His curiosity got the better of him. "What're you doing?" He strode to the table, examining the strange accessory.

Princess Bubblegum sighed. "It's going to help me be able to be here without freezing."

"Really? And how will you manage to do that?"

"Science."

"Figured."

He watched her work. She grabbed a vial nearly two-thirds the size of her pinky. There was a thick red liquid in it. She went back to the bracelet. He noticed the bracelet looked dissected, as if she'd done the design first, and then broke it apart to put all the mechanics in it that would…he wasn't sure what they would do, yet. Deep in the bracelets mechanics, he noticed two metal compartments, one rimmed with red paint, one with green. He arched his eyebrows, beginning to wonder if he would ever become as intelligent as her.

"What's that?" he asked her.

She looked at the vial in her hands. "DNA sample."

"Who's?"

"Mine."

"Why?"

She sighed. "The machine needs to know what it's protecting, or what temperature it would be regulating—in this case, it would be mine." She screwed off the lid, held it over the machine, and carefully let a drop fall into the metal compartment with the red rim.

He nodded, partly understanding it.

Next, she grabbed a piece of ice, mashed it with a mallet, and placed a small piece in the metal slot with the green rim. She growled as the ice quickly melted. "Darn it!"

She dropped the mallet and stared at the little metal compartment, trying to figure it out.

"What's the problem?"

She had no problem explaining. "I need an example of something as cold as ice to tell the machine what it's protecting me from. But I can't do that when the ice keeps melting. I need something that won't melt or dissolve, and still remain it's constant temperature, and be as cold as ice…"

The scientific princess began to pace, a pink finger on her chin.

"I think I have an idea."

"Really?" She stopped pacing, looking at him hopefully.

"Why not my blood?"

"Your blood?"

"Yeah. I'm an ice prince. Why wouldn't my blood be ice-cold?"

"I guess…we could try…" She sounded doubtful.

He came closer to her as she grabbed a small needle. He held out his finger. She looked uneasy, but jabbed the needle as gently as she could. When at first it didn't work, she tried again, and this time, a little puncture wound was made. She winced. "Did I do it too deep?"

He chuckled. "No, your fine." He walked over to the bracelet, and carefully let a drop fall into the compartment with the green rim.

"There."

She gasped. "The light's blinking!" She hurriedly began to put it together, connecting wires and putting in screws. It took her a good while before she got it all together.

She carefully latched the bracelet together and snapped it on her wrist. It looked heavy, but hopefully, it would work.

Princess Bubblegum hesitantly pressed a button and from either side came two needle looking hooks. They stabbed into her skin, and she cried out, gripping her arm right above the bracelet.

The Ice Prince sprinted the few feet toward her, grabbing her arm, ready to rip off the experiment gone wrong, when Princess Bubblegum placed a hand on his arm. "No," she said, wincing at the needles in her skin, "It's…okay. It's supposed to do that."

"You made a machine that would hurt you?" The Ice Prince looked at her with a hard stare—no, an angry one. She was surprised at the amount of emotion in his eyes, due to hurting herself.

"No," she managed to give him a victorious smile. "I made a machine that would _help _me." She held out her arm. "See the latches?" She gestured to the hooks now imbedded in her skin the color of cherry blossoms. "They did that so that that they could perform their job. It regulates my body temperature to whatever temperature I choose. See?" She turned her wrist to reveal another side of the bracelet. On this side was a knob, which she began turning. She shivered as a wave of warmth overtook her. "It works!"

He sighed, relieved. He couldn't help but stare at her mesmerized face. She looked…happy. Happier than she looked in a while…

Princess Bubblegum looked up, feeling his eyes on her. "Don't think because you helped me means I forgive you. I'm still mad that you would pull something like that."

The Ice Prince frowned. Disappointment flashed in his eyes. He sighed as she turned away.

But then he grabbed her shoulder, turning her back around.

"Come with me."


	11. Chapter 11

The princess's skin was so warm; it was beginning to make his hand sweat. He didn't think she'd mind, considering it was a bodily function that could not be stopped. She paid no mind, more curious as to where he was dragging her.

She was quiet as he guided her out the large front doors of the castle. They creaked from being rarely used—dad usually flew in through his bedroom window.

"Ice Prince, where are you taking me?" The princess begged, but the Ice Prince stayed silent, his chest pounding from the long jog.

Princess Bubblegum gathered her dress in her hands as to give her legs room to run. The Ice Prince was pulling her along plains of snow, her feet sinking into the ground, though as soon as the cold hit her, the mechanism on her wrist sent waves of heat throughout her body, causing her to shiver at the sudden warmth.

"How far are we going?" She hoped at least he could answer this.

"It's not too much farther ahead."

Princess Bubblegum lifter her head. She saw icy mountains topped caps of white, more snowy plains against the background of a midnight sky glistening with diamonds. What was he thinking?

They eventually made it toward the mountains. The plains were rising to become hills, and up ahead, she saw a very tall hill. At the top of the hill was a pile of ice shards. It was as if a giant had carved icy sheaths and piled them on top of the hill. There was an opening in the middle, fairly larger than a doorway.

The princess swallowed nervously. The Ice Prince had slowed into a calm walk as they approached. He was panting lightly as the entrance became only a few feet away.

He turned, smiling gently. "C'mon. I think you'd like this."

He turned, finally releasing her hand and walked into the cave.

Icy stalactites hung from ceilings, stalagmites protruding from the ground. It was a cave fully carved of ice. Princess Bubblegum's mouth fell open slightly. Ice glittered in the feint light all around her. She hesitantly reached out and grazed an ice stalagmite with her fingers, gasping when they stuck to the ice for a moment, before gently prying away. She licked her fingers so as not to make the mistake of touching them dry.

She hurriedly caught up with the Ice Prince. Although she couldn't see his face, she sensed it was neutral due to the fact that he'd probably been in here a million times.

In her small race to catch up, her foot caught on a small amount of rugged ice protruding from the ground. It caught on her shoe and she fell forward onto his back. He stopped completely to hold her up. As a reflex, she wrapped her arms around his waist to keep from hitting the ground.

_Thump. Thump. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump…_

That was his heartbeat, increasing in speed for each moment she spent cradled to his back.

She gasped, resisting the urge to press her ear harder against his back. She quickly pulled away, standing upright. He turned around.

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized, brushing off her dress.

He stared at her pinker than usual face…and then broke out into a grin. "No problem."

Princess Bubblegum looked at his cheerful face. She couldn't help but smile a little wider at it. It so much resembled an ecstatic child ready to present his mother with his own creation. It surprised her how out of character he was.

She followed him further into the cave. It became dimmer and dimmer, and then a bright light could be seen at the end of the tunnel. The entrance came closer and closer until they finally passed through.

Princess Bubblegum had never seen anything more beautiful.

It was a large circular room, crystals glittering and gleaming with light captured from the stars—there was no roof, and there was uncountable stars shedding their light onto the ice. On the ground in the center of the icy cavern was a satin sheet draped across the ice.

"Oh, my…" She couldn't find a word to describe her wonder.

"I found this a couple of months ago. I've come here every time I needed to be alone and think for a while. It provided…an escape."

Princess Bubblegum nodded. She never had such a place in the Candy Kingdom.

"Here," he gently reached out and held her arm, pulling her lightly toward the satin sheet on the ground. They both sat down on it and Princess Bubblegum lay down on her back, flattening her dress out a bit. The Ice Prince reached over and pulled a large book from under the satin sheet titled _"Secrets of the Stars"._

He lay down and opened the book. Princess Bubblegum scooted closer to inspect it also. "I found this in my father's library. Every time I come, I see new constellations I've never seen before."

They stared at the sky, and then the book again. Then, the princess pointed upward. "See that one? The one shaped kind of like a Viking?"

The Ice Prince gazed. "Yes, I think so."

"That's Billy. A friend of mine idolized him. Billy was a hero, and a great one at that. But as he grew older he gave up because of the new evil popping up everywhere and proceeded to become a pacifist. Later on, he was killed by the Lich."

"The Lich?"

"A very bad creature," Princess Bubblegum replied. "He set out to destroy life itself. But, luckily, he was defeated by a very good friend of mine."

"The same one that idolized Billy?"

"Yes. Finn has done many things. Many _great _things. He's a hero."

"Really? Then why doesn't he have a constellation like Billy?"

Princess Bubblegum looked back up at the stars. "I think it's because he isn't dead yet. Or old. I don't really know how that works."

They were silent for a long time, gazing at the stars. The book now lay, open, on his stomach.

"Do you think I could get a constellation?" The Ice Prince asked quietly.

The princess blinked and then turned toward him. He flipped onto his side too. "I think if you do good to the Ice Kingdom you would definitely end up in the stars. Why, yours would be the biggest constellation, and it would blot out all the others in the sky!"

The Ice Prince chuckled as she continued. "But you have all the time in the world. No need to worry about it now…"

The Ice Prince sat up, running his fingers through his snow white hair. Princess Bubblegum sat up too, coming to understand.

With only slight hesitation, Princess Bubblegum lay her head on the Ice Prince's shoulder. He stiffened at first, unsure how to react about this strange motion of affection. She held his arm, and he relaxed considerably.

They were like that for a moment that seemed longer then it must have been, until the Ice Prince turned more toward her, forcing her to release, and then he engulfed her in his arms. She smelled really sweet, he noticed. He didn't want to let go…

She relaxed in his grip, cuddling into his chest.

They were like that for the rest of the night.

* * *

Princess Bubblegum awoke with a start, a mighty sound rattling the cave. A few icicles dropped to the ground, and then the sound dispersed. The Ice Prince released the princess as they both sat up, untangling their limbs from each other.

"What was that?"

Princess Bubblegum knew the sound all too well.

"Oh, no."

* * *

**_Hello, guys! I'm sorry for it being so long. I've been terribly busy due to it being the holidays._**

**_I just wanted to say that if you have any inquiries about the story, don't be afraid to leave them in the comment section. But here is something I thought yum might want to know: this story takes place before Finn met the Flame Princess. He doesn't know her yet, so that's why he's still in love with PB. _**

**_Thank you so much for reading, and once again, I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. Have a lovely rest of your holiday!_**


	12. Chapter 12

"Oh, no!" Princess Bubblegum cried out again, peering out into the misty ice as she emerged from the entrance of the ice cave. She knew that sound so well.

It was the mighty roar of the Gumball Guardians.

_But what were they doing here?_

"What is it?" The Ice Prince' tired voice questioned. Princess Bubblegum was a bit afraid to answer. She _couldn't _answer. She didn't know what was going on, though many thoughts raced through her mind. Helpless scenarios.

"Wait!"

But the princess had already taken off down the slope, back towards the kingdom. What motivated her was the sight of the Guardians roaring ferocious yellow flames. They were right in front of the Ice Kingdom.

_Had they rebelled? Were they trying to kill her?_

"Princess—" The Ice Prince had caught her sleeve, stopping her in mid run. Her sweater stretched—it was her favorite. But that didn't matter. What mattered was trying to figure out why the Gumball Guardians were here. _Had she broken a royal promise..?_

"There's no time!" She screamed, jerking herself out of his grip. His face was startled—if not a bit disoriented. His icy eyes lingered about her. Even though he said nothing, she could feel him hammering her with questions.

Princess Bubblegum desperately jabbed her finger toward the castle. "If we don't stop them, they could tear your kingdom apart!"

She took off once again, tearing through the white forest at a speed she could only dream she had. But she certainly possessed it now.

She approached castle only minutes later. From the distance she stood, she could see many colorful dots in the castle yard.

Princess Bubblegum was hit by an icy wind that nearly yanked her forward. She jerked her head around, searching her surroundings for the Ice Prince. She was afraid she couldn't stop the Gumball Guardians herself.

But when she turned, he was gone. It was starting to snow. The bitterness of the wind and the ice smacking against her pink cheeks was enough to make her squint, but she had no time to fiddle with her amazing invention. She had to continue on.

But the snow was turning into a blizzard. It was beginning to haze her vision. She used her arm to rub her eyes.

But it wasn't her vision hazing. It was the snow. It was whirling, clouding up everything in sight. She didn't move—she knew if she did then she'd lose sight of where the castle was.

Princess Bubblegum began to run—or was more just quickly walking since the wind seemed to shove her in the opposite direction. She had been so close… Why did this have to happen now?

She stumbled, her face planted in the snow, her hair became wet. She spat out cold ice, gritting her teeth against the bitterness.

The princess, as strong willed as she is, pushed herself from the ice and tread as quickly as she could. Then she could see it. The wide open gates to the Ice Kingdom's courtyard.

She walked in, no longer having to squint her eyes. The majority of the wind and ice seemed to be blocked by the strongly built gates. But it was still cold, even with her device. She almost fingered the knob toward a higher degree until she saw it…

Princess Bubblegum was met with the horrifying sight of war.

She had never wanted bloodshed—she was more a pacifist with anything, though she wasn't afraid to fight for what her kingdom needed. It was horrid to see the exact thing she had tried to avoid right before her eyes.

The Candy people were desperately fighting off ice golems, who slammed icy sledgehammers and bludgeons down on their heads. Most of them were small and agile, and she watched as they dodged heroically. The most they could do was nibble on their ankles.

There were the Banana Guards, jabbing crystal-tipped spears at the ice golems. She saw Captain Banana Guard fending a Candy citizen against an ice golem that was missing an arm. She passed it. Who had led them to do this?

An ice golem, seeing her walk freely, approached her and lifted an ice club high above his head. She realized now that they were not very pretty creatures. In fact, they were a lot larger than she thought. They looked like overgrown snowmen, made from rock hard snow. They were huge, ball-shaped creatures, with dull irregularities protruding from their skin. Their lumpy skin made its way to a thick neck—or, wait…it had no neck. The head was large and broad, the shape of a dull hill. It's eyes were small compared to its mouth. When it roared, you could see it could fit two, maybe even three of the princess's head in at once. The back of his throat glowed amber, as if something boiled inside the pits of his stomach.

The princess fell backwards as she hurried to scramble away, and covered her head with her arms. Ready to feel the harsh end of the club, after a moment and it hadn't come, she looked up to see that the golem had frozen, looking clearly confused. It then dropped the club, stood up straight, and bowed respectfully.

Despite the shocked look on her face, she wasn't too surprised. The Ice King had probably taught them to treat princesses well, or maybe he told them specifically not to harm her due to the fact that she was his guest.

Princess Bubblegum scrambled to her feet, gave a curt nod, and then dismissed him as she would do any one of her loyal subjects. The Ice Golem lumbered away. She made her way to the front doors of the castle. She never made it any farther.

There, in a clearing at the front of the castle, she saw two figures. Both had gashes along their faces, their clothes torn up as well. Her heart leapt to her throat as see realized who they were.

Finn stood in the clearing, his sword at hand, glistening in the evening snow. He pointed it at the Ice Prince, his eyes feral. His face resembled something, something she knew very well. A face set to maim—to kill…to _murder._

_A face like the Lich._

The Ice Prince glared icily, a crystal blue dagger in his hand. He stood calmly in the billowing wind, his now tattered cape flowing restlessly.

_Her two friends were going to kill each other right in front of her!_

"Stop this now, human," the Ice Prince spat, his composure calm and collected. His eyes were the color of blue flames, growing fiercer and fiercer.

"Over my dead body!" Finn threw back, trying to be heard over the harsh wind.

He hurtled toward the Ice Prince, slashing his sword as to swipe his head clean off his body. The Ice Prince dodged swiftly, moving as gracefully as a snowflake gently descending to the earth. When needed, his dagger would shove Finn's glimmering sword, but it was rarely required.

The Ice Prince was careful with his attacks. He chose the perfect times to aim, and to strike. Finn became quite tired of this game of "cat and mouse." He lazily jabbed at him, and the prince took full advantage. He swiped at him, and cut a deep gash in Finn's cheek.

Finn stumbled backward, holding his face. Blood seeped through his fingers. He glanced at his hand, but waved it off. His blood splattered the ground.

Finn attacked again. Each blow was dodged.

"Stop it!" Princess Bubblegum screamed, but she could not be heard over the sounds of weapons clashing, war cries and sobs…

The war continued around them. All the princess could hear was the clashing of swords and spears. It seemed to shatter her fragile ears.

And then she heard a large shatter. It was like glass breaking. Most of the fighting came to a halt, even the Prince and Finn paused. The Princess whirled to see an ice golem lifting a heavy sledgehammer from the snow—under it had been the Peppermint Butler.

_"No!"_

Princess Bubblegum ran toward the depression in the ground where he lay, tears already building in her eyes. She picked up his crumbling body, a chunk of him—containing his eye—fell apart in her hands. Another smaller part fell into her lap. Crumbs dribbled onto the snow.

She could hear him breathing but faintly. "No…" Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't believe her faithful butler would meet his end in _war…_

"No, please wake up… please!" She lowered her head onto him, crying—no, sobbing. Her body shook from how harshly she sobbed. "Peppermint Butler, please, wake up!"

_No, no, no, no, no…_ Her tears nearly froze her face, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered. Nothing besides the body that lay in front of her.

The Ice Prince turned away from Finn, ready to comfort her, but then something else happened.

"P-P-Princess…" She looked at her butler. He hadn't died yet. She noticed is weak little hand reached toward her hair.

_Her hair._

Princess Bubblegum quickly placed his near-lifeless body onto the ground, piecing him back together. She then ripped out a handful of her hair, wincing in pain only slightly. She then placed a glob of her gummy hair in every place that she could put him back together.

Whenever she connected two pieces with her bubblegum hair in-between it, it would glow a luminescent pink before attaching permanently. Soon, she had him all together again.

Princess Bubblegum waited patiently, her hands clasped together tightly. Hope glimmered in her baby blue eyes. She had never done that before. It was an old legend that the royal family could heal those of the kingdom, but it had never been tested, and there had never been any need. The Candy Kingdom was always a calm place. Princess Bubblegum didn't even think it would work, but…she had to try…

A moment more passed, before the Peppermint Butler opened his eyes. The princess took him into her arms and would not let go.

The Candy people cheered, suddenly brought back to life.

"You should've never turned your back on an enemy."

Princess Bubblegum turned to see Finn's sword stab through the Ice Prince's stomach.

* * *

_**Hey, guys. It's been too long, hasn't it?**_

_**I think I should let you know that this is, I think, the climax of the story, though I really don't want it to end. I was hoping that I could find an even bigger and epicer ending to this, with an even bigger antagonist. That, or I could make a sequel, though I don't know what it would be about. I'm really not sure what to do with this... **_

_**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Please tell me what you think. I made a rough draft of this last night, and I didn't really like it. (It was very short) So I added a few paragraphs and added more detail, and ta-da! Here it is!**_

_**Bye! ~~**_


	13. Chapter 13

The princess was standing, her knees growing weak under her body. She watched. The sword was pulled out of the Ice Prince's body with a jerk of Finn's hand. He smiled smugly, his face bloody; his clothes tattered, his skin flushing pink with the cold. He gazed in triumph, even with the many fallen Candy People around him. He smiled, thinking he had won this war. It was over, and he could take what he had come for and go home, go to his tree house, and snuggle into his makeshift bed for a long sleep.

But that wasn't how it was going to work.

The tears that had once been for her beloved butler, brought back to life with her magic pink hair, were now for the one she had fallen for over the span of a few weeks.

She was in love with him.

But it was a shame that he had to be stabbed in his gut for her to realize it. His face was frozen, a face of utter agony as a blood stain steadily grew larger and larger on his shirt. A drop of blood fell from the corner of his mouth.

She wasn't sure how, but she somehow managed to cover her mouth as she let out a shrill cry. His expression changed. He was smiling, smiling at her, his lips slightly parted. He stumbled towards her—she would have ran to him, hugged him, bid him goodbye till death do them part, but she couldn't. Her legs were frozen—from shock or the cold she did not know.

One step—two steps—eight. From a few feet away, he began to fall, but the princess closed their distance and he collapsed into her arms. She could feel ice-cold blood soak her dress. She felt his breath, short and ragged, on her exposed neck.

Eventually, all his weight was put on her and she could not support him. Her knees finally buckled into the snow and she placed him properly in her lap. His eyes were open slightly, staring at her tear-drenched face. She hugged him, whispering in his ear between her hiccupping and sobs, "It's okay…we'll get help…"

He smiled gently at her, and then, both his hands began to unbutton his shirt. He stopped halfway down, careful not to reveal his wound, pulled his shirt apart, and then grasped her hands in his. Though confused, Princess Bubblegum watch silently.

The Ice Prince placed her hands on his soft chest, rubbing her hands gently over him until he found the right place. He just grinned gently, yet still looking pained, and waited for her to realize something.

She jumped as she felt his heart bump against his chest. It was so slow… The thing that she had been looking for… It was here, just as it had always been.

His smile widened as he knew she felt it and then his body went limp. His eyes closed…the grin still on his face.

She didn't feel another heartbeat.

_"No! Come back!"_ Princess Bubblegum sobbed, pulling him toward her. She cried into him. There was no use in her hair. He wasn't a citizen of the candy kingdom. He was dying…maybe even already dead. She could do nothing about it… she felt so helpless it pained her.

Her sobs quieted down slightly, muffled by his flesh and clothing. The whole world was gone. It was just her and him in his last moments.

And then a voice sounded.

"Please, princess…"

It was Jake. Looking up, she saw him, his eyes teary, looking pleadingly at her. For some reason, she knew what he wanted as soon as he gestured to the Ice Prince's unmoving body. She gently released him, and Jake's limbs began to stretch to unnatural lengths, picking up the Ice Prince, and then racing toward the Ice Castle to take him to the infirmary, although it may have been too late.

There was silence along the courtyard. Princess Bubblegum looked around. The Candy people were staring at her, melancholy. The Peppermint Butler, eyes red with fear and pain and everything a candy person should never experience, walked forward, gently taking her hand and looking up at her hopefully, a small smile grazing his face.

She managed to curl the tips of her lips. She bent down to his ear level. "P-please take them home."

Her butler smiled a little more, and then, as if reading her lips, the Candy People followed the butler through the castle gates and into the beyond—beyond the Ice Castle, beyond the snow and the ice and the blizzards…beyond the _bloodshed._

She watched them file out, the Gumball Guardians last.

"Princess." Finn gently took hold of her shoulders, turning her to face him. Her eyes were the dullest of baby blues—lifeless. Dead. She simply stared blankly into his chest, lost in those memories of losing those she cared for the most. With every one of her people dead, a little part of her died inside, telling her that she was not fit to rule the precious Kingdom of Candy.

He shook her gently. "Princess!" He gritted his teeth. It was like looking at a carcass, she was so lifeless.

And then he bent down and kissed her.

It seemed to bring her back to life. He was soft at first, and then began to intrude her mouth. His lips were warm and moved against hers amateurishly. Then again, she had no room to judge. She had never been kissed before, so she hadn't really known what if felt like until now.

But it just wasn't…right. It wasn't comfortable at all, like a kiss should be. She didn't want to be kissed by him. In fact, she had never thought of kissing him at all, so why would she want to kiss him now, when all she felt was bitter anger towards him?

He pursued her more, trying to get a response—and that he did receive. Princess Bubblegum pushed at his chest, putting about two feet between them.

She glared at him.

Finn looked a bit guilty. His eyes clouded over. He approached her again, waiting for her to say something.

"I want you to go, Finn."

He looked at her. "I'm sorry," he apologized, looking down at the snow as if in defeat—or in remorse. She felt the truth behind his words.

She was about to tell him to leave again, but then he left. Bonnibel Bubblegum touched her lips. It didn't feel right to have one of her best friends kiss her in a place that shouldn't be kissed by friends. The cheek would have been tolerable. The forehead would have made him wiser. But the lips…no. He shouldn't have done that.

She retreated into the castle.

Jake quickly shoved everything he owned that was edible into his everything burrito. He sniffled uncontrollably, trying to keep his eyes from watering. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to push the past few weeks events from his mind.

Jake strolled from the kitchen and into the living room, where he saw Finn curled up on the ground. There were two pictures of Bubblegum there, and a lit candle in between them. He cradled a chunk of her hair in his hand, sniffling. "Hey, Finn? I…I made you an everything burrito…you know, if you get hungry."

"I'm not."

Jake could no longer look at his friend. Finn, once a strong hero, was now heartbroken and pathetic. He couldn't stand to see him like this.

Jake put his everything burrito on the floor next to him, in case Finn changed his mind, and then grabbed Finn's backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He knew his friend wouldn't mind. "Finn, I'm going out…for, uh…a walk in the woods."

Finn just sniffled.

And so Jake left.

Jake ran through the trees, trying to escape the raging fires that burned at his heels.

Glob, he was an idiot.

But how was he to know that Flame Princess was evil? Of course, he wouldn't know until after he had posed as Finn, courted her, and then slapped those words back in her face. He couldn't blame a girl for being mad about that, but to go on a full on rampage burning everything in sight? That was not the girl for Finn.

The tree house came into view, and Jake sighed in relief, but didn't slow his pace. He charged in through the window and ran to Finn's side. "Finn, buddy. You got to help me. I made a mistake—"

And Flame Princess had already begun to burn down their home. Jake watched in horror as fire trailed into the room. Jake shook Finn, but he just gave that picture of Bubblegum that same, dull and dreary stare. Until it started to burn.

First, the flames licked at the corner, and then the paper began to burn. Finn's eyes widened as the flames began to eat up the corner, her neck, and then her beautiful blue eyes began to burn intensely with the flames that ate them.

And Finn was filled with unaccountable anger. He stood and screamed, "Who lit that fire? I'll kill you—"

Finn clung to the bubblegum hair in his hands as the whole tree house shook. As soon as he was steady on his feet, he stalked over to the window and shattered the glass with his foot. He leaned out to see who had done this.

He saw fire, trailing up the tree from the trunk, around the window, and to the top. He stepped on the window seal, looking upward. On the roof, he saw the largest fire elemental he had ever seen. It's massive figure clung to the side of the tree house, a face full of rage.

Thunder clapped in the sky, and all at once, a waterfall of rain fell from the night sky. The elemental screamed in agony as each drop of the rainwater diminished her figure. She became smaller and smaller until she was the size of a human being. Her orange color had faded. The girl looked at her hands, her flames gone, and then she began to fall. She slid off the branches of the tree house, falling to her imminent death.

Finn reacted quickly. He stuck Bubblegum's hair to the tree house and stuck his hand in it. Then, with his other arm, he reached out and caught her, the gum keeping him from falling with her. He pulled her inside and gazed at her faded color and her closed eyes, along with the jewel at the base of her neck and above her forehead. He took all of her in with a single gaze.

And then she came to. She opened her eyes, saw him, and grabbed his shirt with her petite yet destructive little hands, He immediately released and she backed away, eyes full of pure hatred.

"You!" she growled angrily, a voice full of intense, fiery passion. "What's wrong with me, huh?" The girl threw her arms up. "You don't like me?" she shouted.

"N-no…I like you!" Finn quickly replied, unsure of what else to say. Besides, it was true.

She glared at him another moment, but then her eyes softened, as if processing what he had said. Her cheeks became an even more fiery red than her skin. But then she shook her head, as if fighting some inner battle with herself. "What's wrong with you?!"

The girl shook her head, and her hair went up in flames. She stepped forward and slapped him across the cheek, leaving a burn mark shaped like her dainty hand. "Don't ever mess with me again!" And then she flew out the window, leaving a fiery trail behind.

Finn blinked, sunned. Then turned to Jake, who's mouth was hanging open in shock. "Wh-who…who was that?!"

"The Princess of the Fire Kingdom!" Jake managed to whimper.

"Dude," Finn replied, beginning to grin a little, "I think I'm in love."

* * *

_**Hello, my lovelies. See how I made the story flow into the show? Huh? You see it?**_

_**I just couldn't let Finn end up with no one. The only way for him to get over Bubblegum and eventually forgive himself is for someone new to come into his life. Which, (dum du du dam!) is Flame Princess. **_

_**Your welcome. ~~**_


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